1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the field of mechanical devices. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a purse hanger for hanging purses and handbags from tabletops and surfaces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At coffeehouses, restaurants, bars, or indoor and outdoor cafes, people crowd at tables with limited space. In addition to space for food and drink, table tops are often called upon to support ash trays, chess boards, books, newspapers, etc. Those who carry purses and handbags often crowd their handbags into the center of the table. Purses and handbags on a tabletop reduce the space on the tabletop, and are an annoyance when reaching for food, drink, or other items. Some handbag users choose to sit with their handbags on their respective laps, creating a less than leisurely atmosphere. Others elect to place their handbag on the floor or sidewalk next to their chair, under their chair, or beneath the table. Multiple inconveniences abound from these options, however. Floors and sidewalks are often unsanitary, and wholly unsuitable for contact with anything other than the bottom of one's shoe. Additionally, purses and handbags which are placed next to or under a chair are completely out of the line of sight of the owner, and can be stolen without the knowledge of the owner until it is time to leave. Even when not stolen, the vigilance required to continually check on a purse or handbag beneath a chair again detracts from the leisure and pleasure of a café or restaurant experience.
Purse hangers for hanging a purse from a table often align the weight of a purse in an unstable position, causing the purse holder to slide off the table. Bolting or fastening a purse hanger to a table top prevents a purse hanger from sliding off the table, but are only useful when a purse owner sits at the table fitted with the fixed-in-place purse hanger. Prior art purse hangers that are carried in a purse are easily lost within the purse, and difficult to find among other various items stored within a purse.
There remains therefore a need for a purse holder that can easily be located without becoming lost in the purse of a user. There is also a need for a purse holder that will not readily slide off a tabletop.